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Reflections in the Key of Life: The Steve Madaio Story
READER'S FAVORITE BOOK AWARD WINNER - This updated, more affordable paperback version replaces the full-color coffee-table book we originally released in 2019, which sold very well and received the coveted READER'S FAVORITE BOOK AWARD.
Prolific trumpeter Steve Madaio had a profound influence on popular music. From his early days performing with the Butterfield Blues Band on-stage at Woodstock, to decades of recording and touring with Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, and virtually hundreds of other multiple-platinum artists, Steve's signature trumpet sound and iconic arrangements left an indelible mark on music as we know it today. This is his story, beginning in the drug-fueled counterculture of the 1960s, chronicling his incredible journey through legendary tours and recording sessions with the best of the best, it is an intimate portrait from the inside, packed with great moments and valuable life lessons.
FRIENDS
It was a good, good tour, man. Billy Preston was on this tour, and a great horn section that we nicked off of Stevie Wonder. Steve Madaio and Trevor Lawrence, and Bobby Keys was in the section with Steve and Trevor.
Mick Jagger
Recalling working with Steve Madaio on the Rolling Stones 1973 tour
••••••••
…It was a revelation, actually…towards the end of it [The Brussel’s Affair Live 1973 Rolling Stones Show, long hailed by die-hard Stones fans as one of the band’s greatest live performances] I wondered what the rest of the band were on, because things were really starting to rock at a ferocious pace! … it was a little freer and easier in the ‘70’s, you know, to get away with murder.
Keith Richards
Recalling working with Steve Madaio on the Rolling Stones 1973 tour
••••••••
Incredible, incredible! Hot horn section!
Quincy Jones
Legendary Producer, recalling Steve Madaio on Stevie Wonder’s “Songs In The Key of Life” sessions
••••••••
Steve Madaio had me sub for him with Stevie Wonder while he went out with the Stones in ’73 for several months.
He was and is just a great trumpet player who I looked up to back then and I still do! Man, those horn lines on “Superstition” were soooo cool to play…just classic and this book tells ya’ how it was done!
Randy Brecker
Grammy-Award-Winning Recording Artist
••••••••
Though we only did one tour together, I could tell from the downbeat that Steve played his heart out every time he blew. He had it all – intonation, style, sense of historical context, and like all my favorites – he was a high note man!
Max Weinberg, Drummer, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band
Bandleader, Late Night with Conan O’Brien
Member, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
••••••••
Steve was a force of nature... Steve was a natural in whatever he did. He was my brother and I will always hold a place in my heart for him.
Prolific trumpeter Steve Madaio had a profound influence on popular music. From his early days performing with the Butterfield Blues Band on-stage at Woodstock, to decades of recording and touring with Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, and virtually hundreds of other multiple-platinum artists, Steve's signature trumpet sound and iconic arrangements left an indelible mark on music as we know it today. This is his story, beginning in the drug-fueled counterculture of the 1960s, chronicling his incredible journey through legendary tours and recording sessions with the best of the best, it is an intimate portrait from the inside, packed with great moments and valuable life lessons.
FRIENDS
It was a good, good tour, man. Billy Preston was on this tour, and a great horn section that we nicked off of Stevie Wonder. Steve Madaio and Trevor Lawrence, and Bobby Keys was in the section with Steve and Trevor.
Mick Jagger
Recalling working with Steve Madaio on the Rolling Stones 1973 tour
••••••••
…It was a revelation, actually…towards the end of it [The Brussel’s Affair Live 1973 Rolling Stones Show, long hailed by die-hard Stones fans as one of the band’s greatest live performances] I wondered what the rest of the band were on, because things were really starting to rock at a ferocious pace! … it was a little freer and easier in the ‘70’s, you know, to get away with murder.
Keith Richards
Recalling working with Steve Madaio on the Rolling Stones 1973 tour
••••••••
Incredible, incredible! Hot horn section!
Quincy Jones
Legendary Producer, recalling Steve Madaio on Stevie Wonder’s “Songs In The Key of Life” sessions
••••••••
Steve Madaio had me sub for him with Stevie Wonder while he went out with the Stones in ’73 for several months.
He was and is just a great trumpet player who I looked up to back then and I still do! Man, those horn lines on “Superstition” were soooo cool to play…just classic and this book tells ya’ how it was done!
Randy Brecker
Grammy-Award-Winning Recording Artist
••••••••
Though we only did one tour together, I could tell from the downbeat that Steve played his heart out every time he blew. He had it all – intonation, style, sense of historical context, and like all my favorites – he was a high note man!
Max Weinberg, Drummer, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band
Bandleader, Late Night with Conan O’Brien
Member, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
••••••••
Steve was a force of nature... Steve was a natural in whatever he did. He was my brother and I will always hold a place in my heart for him.
334 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 14, 2025
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